Machine and method for filling containers to a predetermined level

ABSTRACT

A container filling machine of the type in which containers are conveyed in a line through an open-ended rotating drum having circumferentially spaced shelves around the inside with pivoted gates for raising the product to a discharge point above the containers, includes the following improvements for reducing product damage and contamination and increasing versatility and adjustability: wedge-shaped shelf gates, drum support rollers above the drum axis, a pin-type drum drive with solid pins on the drum and roller bushings on the drive pinion, a frusto-conical product return section at the exit end of the drum, a circumferentially adjustable cam track for selectable bucket discharge location, an extendable shaker pan with infinitely adjustable position and slope for delivering discharged product to the containers, remotely adjustable tilt angle for containers by means of circular yoke support members held by automatically releasable clamps, and a container shaking mechanism with adjustable amplitude. An improved method for filling containers with relatively uniform spherical product includes tilting and shaking the containers as they are being filled, rather than after filling, to minimize overfilling and excessive product return.

1 1 MACHINE AND METHOD FOR FILLING CONTAINERS TO A PREDETERMINED LEVEL[75] Inventor: Bernard C. Eisenberg, Rockaway,

[73] Assignee: Solbern Corporation, Fairfield, NJ.

[22] Filed: July 9, 1973 [21] Appl, No.: 377,433

[52] US. Cl. 141/78; 141/171; 222/367 [51] Int. Cl. B658 1/04; 8658 1/22[58] FieldolSearch 141/1, [1,12,69,71, 141/72, 73, 74, 78, 79, 80, 131,163,164, 168, 171,256, 270, 283, 324, 118, 124-, 221/211; 222/167, 367;259/D1G. 24, 3; 198/55, 158

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1324.824 7/1943 Chilson cta1. 221/211 X 2937.670 5/1960 Eisenberg .r 141/78 3,217.760 11/1965Eisenberg 141/12 3,298,404 1/1967 Eisenberg 141/1 PrimaryE.raminerRichard E. Aegerter Assistant Examiner-Frederick Rv SchmidtAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Kenyon & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin [57]ABSTRACT A container filling machine of the type in which containers areconveyed in a line through an open-ended rotating drum havingcircumferentially spaced shelves around the inside with pivoted gatesfor raising the product to a discharge point above the containers,includes the following improvements for reducing product damage andcontamination and increasing versatil ity and adjustability:wedge-shaped shelf gates, drum support rollers above the drum axis, apin-type drum drive with solid pins on the drum and roller bushings onthe drive pinion, a frusto-conical product return section at the exitend of the drum, a circumferentially adjustable cam track for selectablebucket discharge location, an extendable shaker pan with infinitelyadjustable position and slope for delivering discharged product to thecontainers, remotely adjustable tilt angle for containers by means ofcircular yoke support members held by automatically releasable clamps,and a container shaking mechanism with adjustable amplitude. An improvedmethod for filling containers with relatively uniform spherical productincludes tilting and shaking the containers as they are being filled,rather than after filling, to minimize overfilling and excessive productreturn.

23 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PAIENTEU SEP 9197s sum 1 HF PATENTED EP 9ms sum 2 or 6 PATENTEDSEP 3 9 SHEET 3 BF 6 34 41 Ti E.

PATENTED SEP 1975 sum 5 or e MACHINE AND METHOD FOR FILLING CONTAINERSTO A PREDETERMINED LEVEL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates to machines and methods for fillingcontainers and more particularly to machines and methods for compactlyfilling containers with relatively small pieces of material to apredetermined level within each container.

2, Description of the Prior Art My previous US. Pat. Nos. 2,937,670,issued May 24, i960; 3,217,760, issued Nov. 16, 1965; and 3,298,404,issued .lan. I7. 1967, disclose container filling machines of the typeof which the present invention is an improvement, and their disclosuresare incorporated herein by reference.

In these prior machines, empty containers such as cans or jars areplaced on an elongated conveyor for transport past a material deliverylocation. The materials usually handled are small food items such asfruit, cut or sliced vegetables, and so forth. These materials aredelivered by a chute to the interior of an openended drum surroundingthe conveyor, with the drum axis extending generally in the direction ofthe path of travel of the containers on the conveyor. The drum issupported for rotation about its axis and is rotated by means of asuitable drive. Buckets or scoops spaced circumferentially around theinside of the drum pick up portions of the material in the bottom of thedrum as it rotates and carry the portions to the top of the drum wherethe material is released into a shaker tray for delivery into thecontainers.

The machines in the patents cited above include means for agitating thecontainers to pack the materials more closely in the containers and toshake out any material in excess of the desired amount. These agitatingmeans include guide rails positioned along either side of a portion ofthe line of containers. The guide rails are supported by members thatare mounted for rotation through a limited angle about an axis parallelto the conveyor line. The axis may be either above or below the level ofthe conveyor surface. These support members are oscillated within asmall angle about their mounting axis, and this motion is transferred tothe guide rails which, in turn, swing or rock the containers back andforth in an arc transverse to the linear path of the conveyor.

If the axis of the support members is above the containers, theresulting centrifugal force is downward and tends to pack the materialmore tightly in the containers. If the axis is below the bottoms of thecontainers, the resulting centrifugal force is directed upward and tendsto eject excess material from the upper portions of the containers. Atthe same time, the containers in these machines are given a translatorylateral shaking motion because the axis of rotary oscillation is eitherabove or below the support surface of the conveyor. This lateral shakingmotion aids in settling the materials in the containers in each case,that is, whether the swinging axis is above or below the bottoms of thecontainers.

In addition to the transmitting swinging motion to the containers, theguide rail support members in some of my prior machines also can beadjusted to tilt the containcrs to a selected angle with respect to thevertical after the filling step to shake out material in excess of thatrequired for a preselected fill level. See, for example, FIGS. 4-6 inUS. Pat, No. 3,298,404 and the accompanying text col. 4, line 41 col. 5,line 41. This technique is suggested as being useful when fillingcontainers with relatively small pieces of material, a specific examplebeing mushrooms. Alternatively, my US. Pat. No. 2,937,670 teaches (FIG.7 and text col. 6, lines -74) that the containers may be tilted duringthe filling step to facilitate filling with elongate or sliver formmaterial, such as french cut stringbeans.

Although the machines disclosed in these prior patents provided uniformcontainer filling for a wide range of products, operating experience hasrevealed a number of drawbacks which the improvements of the presentinvention are intended to correct. For example, the tilt angle of theguide rail supports shown in FIGS. 4-6 of US. Pat. No. 3,298,404 isadjustable only by means of individual screw clamps, and the adjustmentcannot be made without shutting down the machine and going through aseries of trial and error changes. Furthermore, although some controlover the amount of agitation is permitted by varying the speed of theshaker motor, there are many times when it would be desirable also tochange the amplitude of agitation. Such a change is not possible in themachines as disclosed in these prior patents.

In the prior scoop design for lifting material from the bottom to thetop of the drum, fixed shelves as attached at an angle to the inner wallof the drum, and pivotally mounted gates cooperate with the shelves toform scoops or buckets for carrying material to near the top of the drumas it rotates. Near the top of the path of travel for each scoop thegates open by means of a crank and cam follower traveling in a circularcam track mounted at one end of the drum. A problem with the previousscoop design is that materials collect on the ledge formed by a portionof each fixed shelf that extends like a lip beyond the gate when thegate is in the closed position. This material drops back to the bottomof the drum before the gate opens, and if the material is a delicateproduct, it can be damaged by the fall.

Another problem encountered with the prior machines results from themanner of supporting and driving the drum. The drums are typicallysupported on roller wheels near their bottoms on either side of theirvertical center lines. Since, for many food products, the lower part ofthe drum may be immersed in a water or syrup bath, the support wheelsnecessarily also are immersed in their bath, causing problems oflubrication, sanitation, and bearing seal leakage.

The prior drums are typically driven by an electric motor and reductiondrive through a sprocket pinion wheel that engages circumferentiallyspaced steep pins mounted on a circular flange at one end of the drum.In order to reduce wear, the pins preferably carry roller bushings, butthe periodic immersion of these bushings in the liquid bath also causeslubrication and sanitation problems.

In addition, it has been found that the technique of overfillingcontainers followed by tilting and shaking them to eject the excesscauses damage to delicate products as the result of the productrecycling and that the damage is increased by spiral vances spacedaround the inner surface of the drum at its exit ends to return thematerial to the bucket section. The spiral vanes also create pulsationsin product flow to the buckets, and

.. 0.. ..1 .....fim... 0...... 4.

these pulsations adversely affect the uniformity of filling.

These and other problems have been solved by the machine and method ofthe present invention as will become apparent from the detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment in connection with the drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention toprovide an improved machine for filling containers on a conveyor line byhaving means for remotely adjusting the tilt angle of containers as theyare being filled to maintain a preselected fill level with products ofvariable unifor mity.

It is another object of the invention to provide a filling machinehaving a container shaking means in which the amplitude of shakingmovement is adjustable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container fillingmachine of the rotating-drum type that is particularly suitable forhandling delicate food products such as cherries, mushrooms, olives,peaches, and so forth in which the product handling means are fullyadjustable for optimum delivery rates with minimized product recyclingand product injury.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary-drum fillingmachine in which product contamination from the drum supporting meansand the drum driving means is eliminated.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved methodfor filling open-top containers to a preselected level without firstoverfilling and then ejecting excess material.

These and other objects are accomplished by a machine for fillingcontainers conveyed by a conveying support member in a line past amaterial delivery station. Improved means for supporting the containersto permit adjustment of container tilt angle comprise means for guidingthe containers past the material delivery station, means for supportingthe container guiding means for rotation within predetermined angularlimits about an axis approximately coincident with the centerline of theconveying support member, and means for remotely adjusting thesupporting means for the container guides to position the guides at anangle corresponding to a preselected fill level.

By having the container guide support means rotatable about an axiscoincident with the conveying member, which is preferably of elongatedcylindrical form, the containers are always centrally supported on theconveying member regardless of the tilt angle.

The preferred container supporting and tilting means comprises at leastone pair of parallel side rails, at least one circular yoke forsupporting the guide rails along each side of the line of containers,and a remotely releaseable clamp for holding the yoke concentric withthe centerline of the conveying member. When the clamp is released, theyoke can be slidingly adjusted relative to the clamp by means such as acrank and connecting link arrangement mounted adjacent to the yoke onone end of a rotatable shaft, with the yoke being maintained concentricwith the centerline of the conveying member as it slides in the clamp.

In a preferred arrangement, the clamp is mounted on a hollow shaftconcentric with the first-mentioned shaft, and the hollow shaft isoscillated about its axis, preferably by a motor-driven eccentricallymounted journal through a connecting rod and lever, to transmit alateral shaking motion to the containers through the yoke and guiderails. The shaking amplitude can be adjusted by varying the eccentricityof the journal relative to the motor shaft.

The filling machine of the invention preferably includes a rotary-drumtype device having improved means for delivering a variety of materialsto the containers in optimum fashion with minimum product recycling andresultant damage to delicate products such as food items. These improveddelivery means comprise the following:

wedge-shaped pivoted gates cooperating with concave shelves spacedcircumferentially around the inside of the rotating drum to formvariable capacity buckets for raising material from the bottom of thedrum to a discharge location above the containers, the wide edge of eachwedge-shaped gate slidably engaging the corresponding concave shelfwithout exposing a shelf lip that would otherwise tend to pick upmaterial and subsequently drop it at a point other than the desireddischarge point;

means for opening the bucket gates that can be shifted angularly toadjust the discharge point from the buckets, the opening meanscomprising a cam track segment mounted adjacent to one end of the drum,the cam track engaging cam followers on the free ends of cranksconnected to each bucket gate, the cam track segment being angularlyshiftable within the range of desired bucket discharge locations;

a shaker pan for conveying material from the bucket discharge positionto the containers, the pan comprising a main section and an extensionsection which is extendable in an infinite number of steps betweenminimum and maximum pan lengths determined by the selected bucketdischarge location and the position of the line of open-top containers;

means for mounting the shaker pan for infinite adjustment between everypossible bucket discharge location and every possible container positionwithin the limits of the machine, the mounting means preferablycomprising a pair of end plates attached to the shaker pan support, eachend plate having at least one elongated slot; 2 pair of stationarysupport plates, one plate of the pair positioned at each end of the drumin flat contact with the adjacent end plate of shaker pan support andhaving at least one elongated slot extending in a direction transverseto the slot in the end plate, and a fastening device passing throughboth slots to permit infinite adjustment vertically, horizontally andangularly to the limits of the slots; and

a frusto-conical product return section, preferably formed from dimpledsheet metal, for gently and continuously returning excess material thathas been ejected from the filled containers or has fallen between them.

All the foregoing elements combine to provide maximum versatility in asingle machine as well as optimum product handling with lowest possiblespoilage.

Finally, the improved filling machine of the invention includes drumsupport trunnions that contact the inner surfaces of circular ringsfastened to each end drum, the points of contact being above the drumaxis and thereby completely avoiding contact with and contamination ofmaterial in the bottom of the drum, and the drive pins for the drum thatare spaced circumferentially around one of the circular trunnion ringsare in one piece for easy cleaning, likewise to reduce productcontamination.

In addition, the improved method of the invention comprises the steps oftilting and shaking a line of containers simultaneously with their beingfilled so that a preselected fill level is obtained without firstoverfilling and then shaking out and possibly damaging the excessmaterial.

The advantages of these and other components of the improved fillingmachine and method of the present invention will be readily apparentfrom the following description of the preferred embodiment inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of the improvedrotarydrum container filling machine of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section view in elevation along lines 22 of FIG. I.

FIG. 3 is a view of the entrance end of the machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an end view in section taken at the material delivery stationof the filling machine along lines 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective of one preferred embodiment of the shaker pan ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 is an alternate embodiment of the shaker pan.

FIG. 7 is a side view, partially cut away, of the container tilting andshaking mechanism of the machine of FIG. I.

FIG. 8 is an end view along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7 of the container tiltingand shaking mechanism with the containers in the vertical position.

FIG. 9 is an end view along line 99 of FIG. 7 of a portion of themechanism of FIG. 6 with the containers in a tilted position.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the preferred variable eccentricityshaker drive mechanism of the machine of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, FIG.I shows a perspective view looking at the entrance end of the preferredembodiment of a filling machine according to the invention. An elongatedconveyor, generally designated by 20, carries a line of open-topcontainers. such as cans 21, in a linear path past a container fillingstation 22 located above the open containers and extending along aportion of the linear path.

The cans are guided on the conveyor to the filling station by two pairsof guide rails 23 and 24, one rail of each pair extending along eachside of the line of com tainers. Guide rails 23, 24 are adjustable inheight by clamps 25 and 26 mounted on an upright bar 27. A horizontalbar 28 permits lateral adjustment between the rails for different sizecans.

For at least a portion of the path past the container filling stationguide rails 23, 24 are replaced by pairs of tiltable guide rails 29 and30 (see FIGS. 4 and 7-9). Tiltable rails 29, 30 are connected to theguide rails 23, 24 by flexible tubing 3] and 32; so that the cans havecontinuous support as they travel along the linear path of the conveyor.

A means for delivering material to the container filling stationincludes an open-ended rotary drum 33 made of annular end plates 34 and35 (see also FIG. and a cylindrical porous shell 36 wrapped around endplates 34, 35 and fastened with latches 37. The arrangement of theinterior of the drum will be discussed in connection with FIGS. 2 and 4below.

Drum 33 is supported within a rectangular frame 38 for rotation aboutits axis on two pairs of rollers 39, one pair of rollers mounted at eachend of the drum on frame members 40 and 4]. Each pair of rollers 39contact the inner surface of a circular track 42 or 43 attached to thecorresponding annular end plate 34 or 35. The roller contact points areabove the drum axis and equidistant from a vertical plane bisecting thedrum lengthwise. This mounting location is an im provement over thebelow-axis trunion mounting common with rotary-drum equipment becausethe rollers are more accessible and do not contaminate material inrectangular tank 44 which surrounds the lower portion of the drum.

Material to be filled into the containers is delivered into the bottomof the drum through a chute 45. A typical application for the machine ofFIG. 1 is to fill cans or other containers with delicate food products,such as fruit, that are packed in a syrup or juice. Tank 44 provides areservoir for the liquid portion, which has easy access to the interiorof the drum through the porous shell 36. The porous shell is preferablymade of smoothly perforated sheet metal to reduce product abrasion, butwire screening may also be used.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 for further details of the drum design, anumber of shelves 46 are attached to the inner surface of the drum. Eachshelf has a concave surface facing the direction of drum rotation (asindicated by the arrow in FIG. 4). A wedge-shaped gate 47 is associatedwith each shelf. Each gate is attached at its ends to a pair of shafts48 and 49, the shafts being rotatably mounted on end plates 34 and 35,respectively, coincident with the axis of curvature of the correspondingshelf surface. The wide edge 50 of each gate mates with thecorresponding concave shelf surface to form a bucket for picking up aportion of the material in the bottom of the drum as the drum rotates,as shown in FIG. 4. The gates are actuated to close the buckets on thedownward travelling side of the drum before they enter the material atthe bottom and then to open the buckets at preselected discharge pointsin the upper quadrant of upward travel.

As shown in FIG. 3, the means for actuating the bucket gates includesarms 5] having one end attached to the outer end of each shaft 48 forswinging the associated gate 47. The free end of each arm 51 carries acam follower 52 that engages a stationary cam track 53 for the portionof travel from approximately the 12 oclock position to the 9 o'clockposition and an adjustable cam track 54 for the remaining quadrant.

Cam track 53 is bolted directly to a stationary circular end plate 55which, in turn, is attached to rectangular frame 38 by spacer bolts 56.Adjustable cam track 54, on the other hand, is attached to circular endplate 55 by means of slotted mounting plates 57 and 58 and bolts 59, theslots in mounting plates 57 and 58 permitting circumferential shiftingof an inflection point 60 between a lower limit (shown in solid lines)to an upper limit (shown in dashed lines). The location of inflectionpoint 60 determines the gate opening location for each bucket, accordingto the dictates of container size and type of product being handled, asshown more clearly in FIG. 4, where the solid and dashed line positionscorrespond to the same positions in FIG. 3.

The wedge shape of the bucket gates provides an important advantage indelivering delicate products that can be damaged by too much handling.After each bucket has been filled from the reservoir of material in thebottom of the drum, it is desirable to swing the gate outward a slightamount to increase the bucket capacity so that the top layer of materialwill not fall out when the bucket tilts as it travels through the upperquadrant to the discharge point. This slight swinging action isaccomplished by an additional inflection point 61 (FIG. 3) in cam track54 ahead of the discharge inflection point 60. The shift caused byinflection point 61 is illustrated in FIG. 4 by the dashed line positionof the bucket gate at the oclock position. It is apparent that the wedgeshape of the gate provides sealing contact with the shelf of the bucketboth before and after inflection point 61 without creating an exposedlip of the shelf to collect material which will subsequently drop offbefore reaching the bucket discharge point.

At either extreme gate opening location, as well as any desiredintermediate position, the material in each bucket in turn is deliveredto a shaker pan assembly 62 which includes a chute 63 with an adjustableextension 64. Chute 63 is pivotally mounted on legs 65 by means of upperhinge pins 66 attached to the under side of chute 63 and lower hingepins 67 attached to end plates 68 and 69. By this arrangement, shakerpan assembly 62 can be given a substantially longitudinal vibration by adrive means such as a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly 70 (FIG. 2)to assist in delivering the product discharge from buckets uniformly tothe line of con tainers.

End plate 68 has a pair of parallel slots by which it is attached tostationary end plate 55 by means of bolts 71 through a complementarypair of parallel slots in end plate 55 that extend in a directiontransverse to the direction of the slots in end plate 68. End plate 69is attached in a similar manner by bolts 72 to a stationary circular endplate 73; similar to end plate 55 and mounted at the other end of thedrum to frame 38 by spacer bolts 74 (see FIG. 2).

As shown most clearly in FIG. 4, the arrangement of complementary slotsin end plates 68, 69 ofshaker pan assembly 62 and stationary end plates55, 73 permits continuous adjustment of both the height and the angle ofthe shaker pan assembly between upper and lower limits corresponding tothe upper and lower limits of bucket discharge location. At the sametime, chute extension 64 can be infinitely adjusted to properly relateto every bucket discharge location between the upper and lower limitspermitted by adjustable cam track 54. In this way, a large range ofcontainer sizes can be accommodated and the optimum chute angle obtainedfor a variety of products.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, two alternate versions of the shaker panassembly can be provided, depending on the material being handled andthe type of pack desired. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, chute 63 is madeup of a plurality of elongated flat bars 75 arranged on edge in spacedparallel relation and welded to upper hinge pins 66. The parallel bars75 allow liquid to drain back to the drum through a sump 76 whileserving as guides for products moving forward from adjustable extension64, which is shown as fabricated from dimpled sheet metal and isfastened by studs 77 welded to its underside and extending betweenadjacent bars 75, which act as a slot to allow continuous adjustmentbetween the limits imposed by hinge pins 66. At any desired po' sitionbetween these limits, extension 64 can be clamped to chute 63 by a nut78 on each stud bearing against a washer 79 in contact with the loweredges of the adjacent bars 75.

In cases where no drainage is desired, the alternate embodiment of FIG.6 substitutes a chute 63a of dimpled sheet metal having slots 80 for thespaced bars of FIG. 5.

Another improvement of the present invention is the drum drive meansshown in FIGS. 1-4. As mentioned in the description of the prior art,previous machines of this type used a sprocket and pin drive, with thepins being mounted on a ring at one end of the drum. It was found thatplain steel pins tended to wear rapidly; so the pins were equipped withnylon sleeves or roller bushings to reduce wear, but these createdcrevices that were difficult to clean and created a source ofcontamination that was unsatisfactory in a machine for handling foodproducts. In the present embodiment, the sprocket pinion has beenreplaced by a pin-type driving member 81 carrying rollers 82 that arecircumferentially spaced for meshing engagement with pins 83 mounted oncircular track 43. Driving member 81 is itself driven by a conventionalvariable speed reduction drive 84 powered by an electric motor 85.

The improved pin-to-pin drive works smoothly and well. It retains theadvantage of having roller bushings for minimum wear, but by allowingthe rollers to be placed on the driving member, the pins on the drum canbe perfectly plain for maximum sanitation.

In FIGS. 7 through 9, the improved container tilting and shakingassembly is shown in detail. This assembly includes, as mentionedearlier, pairs of tiltable guide rails 29 and 30 for supporting thecontainers for at least a portion of their travel past the materialdelivery station at any desired angle within predetermined limits as thecontainers are being filled. Each pair of guide rails is mounted on twopairs of upright posts 86 and 87 by clamps 88. The lower ends of posts86, 87 are fastened to arcuate yokes 89 and 90, respectively, by clamps91. Yokes 89 and 90 are joined as a unitary structure by an assemblyswing rail 92, and each yoke is releasably held by means such as clamps93 at a distance from the centerline of a conveying support member 94for contain ers 21 equal to the radius of the yoke arc. Conveyingsupport member 94 preferably has a circular cross section so that thecontainers will make only line contact at every tilt angle.

Each clamp 93 is biased in the closed position by a spring 95 actingagainst the back of a piston 96 in a pneumatic cylinder 97. Air suppliedunder pressure from a remote valve (not shown) to fittings 9711 at eachcylinder releases clamps 93 when it is desired to change the supportangle of yokes 89, 90. When clamps 93 are released, the yokes can beslidably moved relative to the clamps by means that permit remoteadjustment of tiltable guide rails 29, 30. These means include a shaft98 extending generally parallel to the direction of the path of travelof the containers and supported for rotation about its longitudinal axiswithin an additional hollow shaft 99 which is supported in bearings 100from structure 10] of elongated conveyor 20.

Crank arms 102 extend radially from shaft 98 near each yoke and areconnected at their ends through links 103 to yokes 89 and 90 by way ofswing rail 92 and an extension stub 104, respectively, so that rotationof shaft 98 by a radial handle 105 results in sliding movement of theyokes relative to the clamps, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Handle 105 islocated at the outer end of shaft 98 outside of the drum structure (seeFIG. 2) so that the yokes can be adjusted easily and safely while thedrum is rotating merely by actuating the remote air valve (not shown) torelease clamps 93 and then swinging handle 105 until the yokes areshifted to produce the desired tilt angle for containers 21.

It will be noted that, because of their arcuate construction, yokes 89and 90 will remain substantially concentric with the centerline ofconveying support member 94 throughout their range of adjustment withrespect to clamps 93. This insures that with only a single remoteadjustment (i.e. movement of handle 105), the containers can be tiltedthrough a predetermined angular range while the container bottoms remainsubstantially centered on the conveying support member for maximumstability.

If the machine is intended for relatively long term operation with afixed tilt angle, yokes 89, 90 can be locked with respect to clampassemblies 93 at any of a finite number of positions within the limitsof yoke adjustment, each finite position being determined by acountersunk hole 106, by means of setscrews 107 (see FIG. 7).

It should be noted further from F108. 8 and 9 that to achieve theindicated range of adjustment the lengths of crank arms 102 andconnecting links 103 are chosen so that each connecting link exerts aforce on the yoke in response to rotation of shaft 98 that has asubstantial component tangent to the curve of the yoke at the clampingassembly 93 for all of the selectable points in the range. Thistangential component is necessary to cause the yoke to slide relative tothe clamp in response to swinging the handle 105.

Although the crank and link arrangement is both a simple and effectiveway to adjust the tilt angle of yokes 89, 90, other means, such asarcuate rack and pinion or motor-driven worm and gear arrangements,could be used to accomplish the same result of remotely adjusting theyokes with respect to their clamps while maintaining them substantiallyconcentric with conveying support member 94.

The double shaft arrangement described above also permits angularshaking of the tiltable guide rail assembly at any angular position ofthe assembly. This is accomplished by locking each clamp 93 to hollowshaft 99 by means of a clamp 108 and tapered locking pin 109. At theouter end of shaft 99 is a crank arm 110 connected through atelescopically adjustable connecting rod 111 to an eccentric drivemember 112 which can be rotated at selectively variable speeds by meansof a conventional variable speed reduction unit 113 driven by anelectric motor 114.

in operation, electric motor 114 rotates eccentric drive member 112 atselectively variable speed through reduction unit 113. Eccentric drivemember 112 converts rotation into longitudinal reciprocation ofconnecting rod 11 l which, in turn, converts to rotary oscillation ofcrank arm 110. This rotary oscillation is transmitted through outershaft 99 and clamps 108 and 93 to the yoke assembly From inspection ofFIG. 8 it is apparent that the angular shaking motion is centered aboutthe axis of shaft 99, which is displaced from the centerline ofconveying support member 94. Therefore, the shaking action on containers21 will not be a pure rocking motion but will include lateraltranslation as well. The rocking component of the shaking action exertsa centrifugal force on the contents of the containers that tends toeject material at and near the top. The lateral translation component,on the other hand, tends to shake the contents below the top down tofill up any voids and make a solid and more uniform pack while ejectingany overfill above the top edge of the containers.

FIG. 10 shows an exploded view of the assembly of eccentric drive unit112 that permits adjustment of the eccentricity to selectively vary theshaking amplitude within predetermined limits. Eccentric drive unit 112consists of a coupling 115 attached to the end of an output drive shaft116 from variable speed reduction unit 113. Coupling 115 has a flat endface 117 perpendicular to the axis of drive shaft 116, with a diametralgroove 118 in the end face. A bar 119 mates with groove 118 for slidingmotion therein. A stub journal 120 extends from the center of bar 119for rotatably mounting the upper end of connecting rod 111.

Bar 119 also includes two elongated slots 121 to permit limitedlongitudinal movement of the bar in groove 118 when attached to coupling115 by two cap screws 122 threaded into mating holes 123 in the base ofgroove 118. In this way the eccentricity of drive member 112 can beadjusted within the limits of slots 121.

The operation of the improved container filling machine of the presentinvention thus includes the steps of conveying the containers in alinear path on a moving conveyer line past the material delivery station22, tilting the line of containers in a portion of the linear pathextending along the end of discharge chute 63 about an axissubstantially coincident with the centerline of conveying support member94 to an angle that corresponds to a preselected fill level, filling thetilted containers with items delivered from chute 63, and shaking thetilted containers as they are being filled with a combined rocking andlateral translatory motion of adjustable frequency and amplitude tosimulta neously pack the material uniformly in the containers and ejectany overfill.

By tilting and shaking the containers as they are being filled ratherthan after the filling step, overfill and subsequent shakeout areminimized, with resulting reduction in product damage due to theadditional handling that occurs during recycling.

My prior US. Pat. Nos. 2,937,670 and 3,217,760 disclose a procedure fortilting containers while they are being filled with elongated objects,slivers or the like, to avoid obstruction of the container openings, butthere is no suggestion of tilting while filling to avoid excessiveoverfill and subsequent spillback, which can damage delicate products.

As shown in FIG. 4, the possibility of product damage is further reducedby providing a deflection plate 124 attached to a sector plate 125 forpivotal adjustment about a pin 126 connecting the sector plate to asupport arm 127 which is adjustably fastened to a shaft 128 by a clamp129. Shaft 128 is held at each end by suitable attachments to stationaryend plates 55 and 73. Deflector plate 124 is positioned to shield theproduct delivered from the end of chute 63 from the sharp upper edges oftilted containers 2] so that only the smooth inner sides of thecontainers contact the product flow.

Additional product protection is provided by a truncated cone 130 ofdimpled sheet metal attached to the exit end of drum 33. Materialstipped or shaken from the containers into cone 130 as the containersleave the filling location slide gently back into the drum bucketfilling area rather than being moved back by spiral vanes on the insideof the drum surface, as in previous designs. This provides still furthergentle product handling action. Cone 130 also permits the use of ashorter drum, thereby reducing the amount of product required as areservoir within the drum. Less product within the drum means lessopportunity for product damage.

The improvements in drum-type container filling machines described abovetherefore provide both individually and in combination greaterflexibility of operation and better product handling with reducedpossibility of damaging delicate products. For example, the wedgeshapedbucket gates 47 eliminate the possibility of product dropback into thedrum reservoir with the attendant opportunity for bruising or otherdamage to delicate products. The adjustable cam track 54 in conjunctionwith fully adjustable shaker pan assembly 62 produces a gentle, slidingproduct transfer from drum buckets to shaker pan for a wide variety ofcontainer sizes. The height of the pan can be adjusted to match theheight of the containers, the angle of the shaker pan can be adjusted tothe proper slide angle for a smooth, continuous flow for a variety ofproducts, and the length of the shaker pan can be extended to match thedischarge location of the drum buckets for full sliding" producttransfer. All these adjustable elements conibine, therefore, for gentle,positive, damage-free product handling from the drum reservoir to thecontainers.

Furthermore, the arcuate shape of the support yokes for the tiltablecontainer guide rails permit remote adjustment of the container tiltangle by insuring that the yokes are maintained substantially concentricwith the conveying support member for all tilt angles so that thecontainers are not shifted to one side or the other as the tilt angle ischanged but are kept safely centered on the conveyor.

By arranging the tiltable portion of the guide rails to extend along thewidth of the discharge end of the shaker pan so that tilting and shakingoccur during the entire filling process, improved fill density controlis achieved with less overfill and subsequent spillback. Thisarrangement, together with the truncated cone drum cxit section, permita much shorter drum because the major part of such product spill back asdoes occur takes place in the filling region. The result, as statedabove, is a reduced product inventory requirement in the drum reservoirwith less recycling and opportunity for product damage.

The ability of the disclosed apparatus to vary container shakingamplitude as well as shaking frequency allows the shaking motion to beoptimally selected for the container size and product handled. Thisminimizes or eliminates any further opportunity for product damageinside the containers and during spilloff and maximizes control ofproduct density and desired headspace in the filled containers.

Finally, the improved pinto-six drum drive aboveaxis trunnion mountsminimize product contamination and permit fast cleanup and visualinspection.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for compactly filling containers with material to apreselected level of the type that includes an elongated support memberfor conveying containers in a linear path, means for delivering materialinto the containers from a location above a portion of the linear path,means for tilting the containers to an angle corresponding to thepreselected fill level, and means for agitating the containers to packthe material closely in the containers and to eject excess material, theimprovement wherein the means for tilting the containers to apredetermined angle comprises:

means for guiding the containers in the portion of the linear path belowthe material delivery location in cluding at least one pair of siderails positioned in spaced relation parallel to the portion of thelinear path, one rail of each pair being in sliding engagement with oneside of each container being conveyed, and the other rail being insliding contact with the opposite side of each container;

means for supporting the guide means for rotation within predeterminedangular limits about an axis approximately coincident with thecenterline of the conveying support member including at least one yokein the form of a circular arc subtending an angle equal to at least thepredetermined angular limits of rotation, means for connecting each endof the yoke respectively to one and the other of each pair of siderails, and

means located at a distance from the centerline of the conveying supportmember approximately equal to the radius of the circular are formed bythe yoke for holding the yoke at any selectable point between its endsthat lies in an arc subtending an angle corresponding to thepredetermined angular limits of rotation; and

means for remotely adjusting the container guide supporting means withinthe predetermined angular limits to position the container guiding meansat the angle corresponding to the preselected fill level, the holdingmeans permitting sliding movement of the yoke relative to the holdingmeans from one of the selectable points to another in response toactuation of the remote adjusting means, the yoke when held at any ofthe selectable points being approximately concentric with the centerlineof the conveying support member.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein the means for holding the yokecomprises:

releasable clamp means located at a distance from the centerline of theconveying support member approximately equal to the radius of thecircular arc of the yoke and a remotely controlled device forselectively releasing the clamp means to permit sliding movement of theyoke relative to the clamp.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein the remotely con- 5 trolled device forselectively releasing the clamping 4. The machine of claim 1 wherein themeans for remotely adjusting the container guide supporting means withinthe predetermined angular limits comprises:

a shaft extending in the general direction of the path of travel of thecontainers and supported for rotation about its longitudinal axis;

means connected to the shaft and engaging the yoke for slidably movingthe yoke relative to the holding means in response to rotation of theshaft; and

means connected to the shaft at a point remote from the holding meansfor controllably rotating the shaft by an amount sufficient to slide theyoke rela tive to the holding means to the selectable pointcorresponding to the desired container tilt angle.

5. The machine of claim 4 wherein the means for moving the yoke relativeto the holding means comprises:

a crank arm attached at one end to the shaft and a connecting linkhaving one end pivotally connected to a point on the yoke that iscircumferentially spaced from the selectable holding points and havingthe other end pivotally connected to the other end of the crank arm, thelengths and relative angu lar positions of the crank arm and connectinglink being chosen so that the connecting link exerts a force on the yokein response to rotation of the shaft that has a substantial componenttangent to the curve of the yoke at all of the selectable points,whereby the yoke can be adjustably positioned to all of the selectablepoints by sliding motion rela tive to the holding means in response torotation of the shaft.

6. The machine of claim 4, wherein the means for agitating thecontainers to pack the material closely in the containers and to ejectexcess material comprises:

an additional shaft extending substantially parallel to the centerlineof the conveying support member;

means for mounting the additional shaft for rotary oscillation about itslongitudinal axis;

means for connecting the yoke holding means to the additional shaft forrotary oscillation therewith; and

means for oscillating the additional shaft about its axis withselectable frequency and amplitude about a mean position in which theyoke is substantially concentric with the centerline of the conveyingsupport member.

7. The machine of claim 6 wherein the additional shaft comprises ahollow shaft, and the first-mentioned shaft is mounted concentricallyinside the additional shaft.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein the axis of the firstmentioned shaftand the additional shaft intersects a line between the centerline of theconveying support member and the mean position of the yoke holdingmeans.

9. The machine of claim 6 wherein the means for oscillating theadditional shaft about its axis with selectable frequency and amplitudecomprises:

drive means having a rotatable drive shaft;

means for selectively controlling the speed of the drive shaft;

an eccentric journal coupled to the drive shaft;

means for selectively changing the eccentricity of the journal withrespect to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft;

a connecting rod having one end mounted for rotation on the eccentricjournal; and

means coupled to the additional shaft and to the other end of theconnecting rod for converting reciprocal motion of the connecting rod torotary oscillation of the additional shaft.

10. The machine of claim 9 wherein the means for selectively changingthe eccentricity of the journal comprises:

a coupling attached to the end of the drive shaft, the coupling having aflat end face perpendicular to the drive shaft axis with a diametralgroove in the face;

a bar mating with the groove for sliding motion therein, the journalbeing mounted on the sliding bar and extending parallel to the axis ofthe drive shaft when the bar is in the groove; and

means for clamping the bar at selected longitudinal positions relativeto the groove, whereby the eccentricity of the journal axis relative tothe drive shaft axis can be selectively established.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the bar has at least one elongatedslot extending for a portion of its length; the coupling has at leastone threaded hole, the axis of the hole in the coupling intersecting thelongitudinal axis of the slot in the bar; and the means for clamping thebar at selected longitudinal positions relative to the groove comprises:

a threaded fastener passing through the slot in the bar and engaging thethreads of the hole in the coupling for permitting relative slidingmovement between the bar and the coupling when the threaded fastener isloosened and for preventing relative movement between the bar and thecoupling when the threaded fastener is tightened, whereby theeccentricity of the journal with respect to the drive can be selectivelyadjusted within the limits of the slot in the bar.

12. The machine of claim 9 wherein the connecting rod comprises:

means for selectively adjusting the length of the rod for providingadditional adjustment of the tilt angle of the containers.

l3. ln a machine for filling containers to a predetermined level of thetype that includes means for conveying containers in a linear path, anopen-ended drum surrounding a portion of the conveying means with thedrum axis extending substantially in the direction of the linear path,means for supporting the drum for rotation about its axis, means forrotating the drum on the support means, means for delivering to theinterior of the drum material to be placed in the containers, meansspaced circumferentially around the inside of the drum for raisingportions of the material in the drum to a preselected discharge pointabove the line of containers, and means for directing materialdischarged from the raising means to the containers as they are conveyedto the linear path, the improvement wherein the means spacedcircumferentially around the inside of the drum for raising portions ofthe material in the drum to a discharge point near the top of the drumcomprises:

a plurality of shelves attached to the inner surface of the drum, eachshelf having a surface that faces in the direction of drum rotation andforms a concave cylindrical are about an axis spaced radially inwardlyfrom the inner surface to the drum;

a wedge-shaped gate for each shelf, each gate being mounted at itsnarrow edge for pivoting movement about the axis of curvature of thecorresponding shelf surface, and the wide edge of each gate mating withthe shelf surface to form a bucket for picking up a portion of thematerial in the bottom of the drum as the drum rotates; and

means for pivoting each gate to a closed position with respect respectto its corresponding shelf before each bucket passes through thematerial at the bottom of the drum and to an open position at apreselected discharge point above the containers, the wide edge of thegate providing a range of closed bucket volumes, departing on thefraction of gate edge engaging the shelf, without exposing the shelf lipfor picking up unwanted material outside of the bucket.

14. The machine of claim 13 wherein the means for pivoting each gate toa closed position with respect to its corresponding shelf before eachbucket passes through the material at the bottom of the drum and to anopen position at a preselected discharge point comprises:

a crank for pivotally rotating the gate, the crank having a shaftconnected to the gate and extending to an outer end outside one end ofthe drum and a lever arm with one end fixed to the outer end of thecrank shaft;

a cam follower mounted on the other end of the lever arm;

a first cam track segment mounted adjacent to the end of the drum forengaging the cam follower over a first angular portion of its travel forclosing the gate; and

a second cam track segment mounted adjacent to the end of the drum forengaging the cam follower over a second angular portion of its travelfor opening the gate, the second cam track segment being angularlyshiftable for varying the angular location at which the bucket gateswill open, thereby varying the preselected discharge point.

15. The machine of claim 13 wherein the means for directing materialdischarged at the preselected discharge point from the raising means tothe containers as they are conveyed in a linear path comprises:

a chute leading from the discharge point to the open upper portions ofthe containers;

a frame for supporting the chute; and

means for supporting the frame inside the drum to provide an infiniteselection of horizontal, vertical and angular settings of the chutewithin predetermined limits,

16. The machine of claim 15 wherein the means for supporting the frameinside the drum to provide an infinite selection of horizontal, verticaland angular settings of the chute within predetermined limits comprises:

a pair of stationary end plates, one plate mounted adjacent to each endof the drum;

a pair of end plates attached one at each end of the frame, the frameend plates being spaced apart such that their outer surfaces contact theinner surfaces of the stationary end plates, one of each frame end plateand the contiguous stationary end plate having at least one laterallyextending slot and the other plate having at least one slot extending ina direction transverse to the first-mentioned slot; and

at least one threaded fastener passing through the at least one lateralslot of one end plate and the at least one transverse slot of thecontiguous end plate at each end of the drum, thereby permitting aninfinite selection of horizontal, vertical and angular settings withinthe limits of the slot lengths.

17. The machine of claim 15 further comprising:

means for shaking the chute with respect to its sup porting frame forincreasing the flow of materials through the chute from the preselecteddischarge point of the raising means to the line of containers.

[8. The machine of claim 15 wherein the chute comprises:

a main portion having a length corresponding to the shortest possibledistance between a preselected discharge point and a line of containerswithin the adjustment limits of the machine and an extension portionslidably mounted with respect to the main portion for extending thechute length in continuous increments to the longest possible distancebetween a preselected discharge point and a line of containers withinthe adjustment limits of the machine.

19. The machine of claim 18 wherein the main portion of the chutecomprises:

a plurality of elongated flat bars extending in spaced relation parallelto the direction of material flow through the chute, the bars beingcantilevered for a portion of their lengths, the free ends of thecantilevered bars defining the end of the chute adjacent to the line ofcontainers, whereby liquid material will drain freely between the bars,leaving primarily solid material to be directed into the line ofcontainers, and the free ends of the bars insure against unsanitarymaterial retention surfaces.

20. The machine of claim 13 further comprising;

a frusto-conical exit section attached to the end of the drum from whichthe filled containers leave for returning excess material falling fromthe containers to the bottom of the drum,

21. The machine of claim 20 wherein the frustoconical exit sectioncomprises a dimpled inner surface for returning excess material to thebottom of the drum by gentle tumbling action.

22. In a machine for filling containers of the type that includes meansfor conveying containers in a linear path, an open-ended drumsurrounding a portion of the conveying means with the drum axisextending substan tially in the direction of the linear path, means forsupporting the drum for rotation about its axis, means for rotating thedrum on the support means, means for delivering to the interior of thedrum material to be placed in the containers, means spaced around theinside of the drum for raising portions of the material in the drum to apreselected discharge point above the line of containers, and means fordirecting material discharged from the raising means to the containersas they are conveyed in the linear path, the improvement wherein:

the means for rotating the drum on the support means comprises:

a plurality of fixed pins attached in a circle to one end of the drum inspaced circumferential relation:

a drive means having a rotary drive shaft;

a circular drive member attached to the rotary drive shaft for rotationthereby;

a plurality of roller bushings arranged on the circular drive member ina circle concentric with the rotary drive shaft, the rollers beingequally spaced circumferentially by a distance equal to thecircumferential spacing of the fixed pins attached to the drum, thedrive means being positioned so that the circle of roller bushings onthe circular drive member engages the circle of fixed pins on the end of[Q the drum for transmitting tangential driving force UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,903,941 DatedSeptember 9 l 1975 Inventor(s) Bernard C. Eisenberg It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 28, after "fixed shelves", change "as" to --are-.

Column 2, line 50, after "immersed in" change "their" to --this--.

Column 2, line 54, after "spaced", change "steep to -steel-.

Column 2, line 64, change "vances" to ---vanes-.

Column 6, line 3, change "(see also Fig. to

(see also Fig. 2).

Column 12, line 1, change "pin-to-six" to --pintopin.

Column 14, line 56, change "to the linear path" to in the linear path-.

Column 15, line 9, change "respect respect" to respect.

Column 15, line 14 change "departing" to -depending-.

Signed and Scaled this sixth D y Of January 1976 [SEAL] Arrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner of Parentsand Trademarks

1. In a machine for compactly filling containers with material to apreselected level of the type that includes an elongated support memberfor conveying containers in a linear path, means for delivering materialinto the containers from a location above a portion of the linear path,means for tilting the containers to an angle corresponding to thepreselected fill level, and means for agitating the containers to packthe material closely in the containers and to eject excess material, theimprovement wherein the means for tilting the containers to apredetermined angle comprises: means for guiding the containers in theportion of the linear path below the material delivery locationincluding at least one pair of side rails positioned in spaced relationparallel to the portion of the linear path, one rail of each pair beingin sliding engagement with one side of each container being conveyed,and the other rail being in sliding contact with the opposite side ofeach container; means for supporting the guide means for rotation withinpredetermined angular limits about an axis approximately coincident withthe centerline of the conveying support member including at least oneyoke in the form of a circular arc subtending an angle equal to at leastthe predetermined angular limits of rotation, means for connecting eachend of the yoke respectively to one and the other of each pair of siderails, and means located at a distance from the centerline of theconveying support member approximately equal to the radius of thecircular arc formed by the yoke for holding the yoke at any selectablepoint between its ends that lies in an arc subtending an anglecorresponding to the predetermined angular limits of rotation; and meansfor remotely adjusting the container guide supporting means within thepredetermined angular limits to position the container guiding means atthe angle corresponding to the preselected fill level, the holding meanspermitting sliding movement of the yoke relative to the holding meansfrom one of the selectable points to another in response to actuation ofthe remote adjusting means, the yoke when held at any of the selectablepoints being approximately concentric with the centerline of theconveying support member.
 2. The machine of claim 1 wherein the meansfor holding the yoke comprises: releasable clamp means located at adistance from the centerline of the conveying support memberapproximately equal to the radius of the circular arc of the yoke and aremotely controlled device for selectively releasing the clamp means topermit sliding movement of the yoke relative to the clamp.
 3. Themachine of claim 2 wherein the remotely controlled device forselectively releasing the clamping means comprises a device actuated bypressurized fluid.
 4. The machine of claim 1 wherein the means forremotely adjusting the container guide supporting means within thepredetermined angular limits comprises: a shaft extending in the generaldirection of the path of travel of the containers and supported forrotation about its longitudinal axis; means connected to the shaft andengaging the yoke for slidably moving the yoke relative to the holdingmeans in response to rotation of the shaft; and means connected to theshaft at a point remote from the holding means for controllably rotatingthe shaft by an amount sufficient to slide the yoke relative to theholding means to the selectable point corresponding to the desiredcontainer tilt angle.
 5. The machine of claim 4 wherein the means formoving the yoke relative to the holding means comprises: a crank armattached at one end to the shaft and a connecting link having one endpivotally connected to a point on the yoke that is circumferentiallyspaced from the selectable holding points and having the other endpivotally connected to the other end of the crank arm, the lengths andrelative angular positions of the crank arm and connecting link beingchosen so that the connecting link exerts a force on the yoke inresponse to rotation of the shaft that has a substantial componenttangent to the curve of the yoke at all of the selectable points,whereby the yoke can be adjustably positioned to all of the selectablepoints by sliding motion relative to the holding means in response torotation of the shaft.
 6. The machine of claim 4, wherein the means foragitating the containers to pack the material closely in the containersand to eject excess mateRial comprises: an additional shaft extendingsubstantially parallel to the centerline of the conveying supportmember; means for mounting the additional shaft for rotary oscillationabout its longitudinal axis; means for connecting the yoke holding meansto the additional shaft for rotary oscillation therewith; and means foroscillating the additional shaft about its axis with selectablefrequency and amplitude about a mean position in which the yoke issubstantially concentric with the centerline of the conveying supportmember.
 7. The machine of claim 6 wherein the additional shaft comprisesa hollow shaft, and the first-mentioned shaft is mounted concentricallyinside the additional shaft.
 8. The machine of claim 7 wherein the axisof the first-mentioned shaft and the additional shaft intersects a linebetween the centerline of the conveying support member and the meanposition of the yoke holding means.
 9. The machine of claim 6 whereinthe means for oscillating the additional shaft about its axis withselectable frequency and amplitude comprises: drive means having arotatable drive shaft; means for selectively controlling the speed ofthe drive shaft; an eccentric journal coupled to the drive shaft; meansfor selectively changing the eccentricity of the journal with respect tothe axis of rotation of the drive shaft; a connecting rod having one endmounted for rotation on the eccentric journal; and means coupled to theadditional shaft and to the other end of the connecting rod forconverting reciprocal motion of the connecting rod to rotary oscillationof the additional shaft.
 10. The machine of claim 9 wherein the meansfor selectively changing the eccentricity of the journal comprises: acoupling attached to the end of the drive shaft, the coupling having aflat end face perpendicular to the drive shaft axis with a diametralgroove in the face; a bar mating with the groove for sliding motiontherein, the journal being mounted on the sliding bar and extendingparallel to the axis of the drive shaft when the bar is in the groove;and means for clamping the bar at selected longitudinal positionsrelative to the groove, whereby the eccentricity of the journal axisrelative to the drive shaft axis can be selectively established.
 11. Thedevice of claim 10 wherein the bar has at least one elongated slotextending for a portion of its length; the coupling has at least onethreaded hole, the axis of the hole in the coupling intersecting thelongitudinal axis of the slot in the bar; and the means for clamping thebar at selected longitudinal positions relative to the groove comprises:a threaded fastener passing through the slot in the bar and engaging thethreads of the hole in the coupling for permitting relative slidingmovement between the bar and the coupling when the threaded fastener isloosened and for preventing relative movement between the bar and thecoupling when the threaded fastener is tightened, whereby theeccentricity of the journal with respect to the drive can be selectivelyadjusted within the limits of the slot in the bar.
 12. The machine ofclaim 9 wherein the connecting rod comprises: means for selectivelyadjusting the length of the rod for providing additional adjustment ofthe tilt angle of the containers.
 13. In a machine for fillingcontainers to a predetermined level of the type that includes means forconveying containers in a linear path, an open-ended drum surrounding aportion of the conveying means with the drum axis extendingsubstantially in the direction of the linear path, means for supportingthe drum for rotation about its axis, means for rotating the drum on thesupport means, means for delivering to the interior of the drum materialto be placed in the containers, means spaced circumferentially aroundthe inside of the drum for raising portions of the material in the drumto a preselected discharge point above the line of containers, and meansfor directing material discharged from the raising means to thecontainers as they are conveyed to the linear path, the improvementwherein the means spaced circumferentially around the inside of the drumfor raising portions of the material in the drum to a discharge pointnear the top of the drum comprises: a plurality of shelves attached tothe inner surface of the drum, each shelf having a surface that faces inthe direction of drum rotation and forms a concave cylindrical arc aboutan axis spaced radially inwardly from the inner surface to the drum; awedge-shaped gate for each shelf, each gate being mounted at its narrowedge for pivoting movement about the axis of curvature of thecorresponding shelf surface, and the wide edge of each gate mating withthe shelf surface to form a bucket for picking up a portion of thematerial in the bottom of the drum as the drum rotates; and means forpivoting each gate to a closed position with respect respect to itscorresponding shelf before each bucket passes through the material atthe bottom of the drum and to an open position at a preselecteddischarge point above the containers, the wide edge of the gateproviding a range of closed bucket volumes, departing on the fraction ofgate edge engaging the shelf, without exposing the shelf lip for pickingup unwanted material outside of the bucket.
 14. The machine of claim 13wherein the means for pivoting each gate to a closed position withrespect to its corresponding shelf before each bucket passes through thematerial at the bottom of the drum and to an open position at apreselected discharge point comprises: a crank for pivotally rotatingthe gate, the crank having a shaft connected to the gate and extendingto an outer end outside one end of the drum and a lever arm with one endfixed to the outer end of the crank shaft; a cam follower mounted on theother end of the lever arm; a first cam track segment mounted adjacentto the end of the drum for engaging the cam follower over a firstangular portion of its travel for closing the gate; and a second camtrack segment mounted adjacent to the end of the drum for engaging thecam follower over a second angular portion of its travel for opening thegate, the second cam track segment being angularly shiftable for varyingthe angular location at which the bucket gates will open, therebyvarying the preselected discharge point.
 15. The machine of claim 13wherein the means for directing material discharged at the preselecteddischarge point from the raising means to the containers as they areconveyed in a linear path comprises: a chute leading from the dischargepoint to the open upper portions of the containers; a frame forsupporting the chute; and means for supporting the frame inside the drumto provide an infinite selection of horizontal, vertical and angularsettings of the chute within predetermined limits.
 16. The machine ofclaim 15 wherein the means for supporting the frame inside the drum toprovide an infinite selection of horizontal, vertical and angularsettings of the chute within predetermined limits comprises: a pair ofstationary end plates, one plate mounted adjacent to each end of thedrum; a pair of end plates attached one at each end of the frame, theframe end plates being spaced apart such that their outer surfacescontact the inner surfaces of the stationary end plates, one of eachframe end plate and the contiguous stationary end plate having at leastone laterally extending slot and the other plate having at least oneslot extending in a direction transverse to the first-mentioned slot;and at least one threaded fastener passing through the at least onelateral slot of one end plate and the at least one transverse slot ofthe contiguous end plate at each end of the drum, thereby permitting aninfinite selection of horizontal, vertical and angular settings withinthe limits of the slot lengths.
 17. The machine Of claim 15 furthercomprising: means for shaking the chute with respect to its supportingframe for increasing the flow of materials through the chute from thepreselected discharge point of the raising means to the line ofcontainers.
 18. The machine of claim 15 wherein the chute comprises: amain portion having a length corresponding to the shortest possibledistance between a preselected discharge point and a line of containerswithin the adjustment limits of the machine and an extension portionslidably mounted with respect to the main portion for extending thechute length in continuous increments to the longest possible distancebetween a preselected discharge point and a line of containers withinthe adjustment limits of the machine.
 19. The machine of claim 18wherein the main portion of the chute comprises: a plurality ofelongated flat bars extending in spaced relation parallel to thedirection of material flow through the chute, the bars beingcantilevered for a portion of their lengths, the free ends of thecantilevered bars defining the end of the chute adjacent to the line ofcontainers, whereby liquid material will drain freely between the bars,leaving primarily solid material to be directed into the line ofcontainers, and the free ends of the bars insure against unsanitarymaterial retention surfaces.
 20. The machine of claim 13 furthercomprising: a frusto-conical exit section attached to the end of thedrum from which the filled containers leave for returning excessmaterial falling from the containers to the bottom of the drum.
 21. Themachine of claim 20 wherein the frusto-conical exit section comprises adimpled inner surface for returning excess material to the bottom of thedrum by gentle tumbling action.
 22. In a machine for filling containersof the type that includes means for conveying containers in a linearpath, an open-ended drum surrounding a portion of the conveying meanswith the drum axis extending substantially in the direction of thelinear path, means for supporting the drum for rotation about its axis,means for rotating the drum on the support means, means for deliveringto the interior of the drum material to be placed in the containers,means spaced around the inside of the drum for raising portions of thematerial in the drum to a preselected discharge point above the line ofcontainers, and means for directing material discharged from the raisingmeans to the containers as they are conveyed in the linear path, theimprovement wherein: the means for rotating the drum on the supportmeans comprises: a plurality of fixed pins attached in a circle to oneend of the drum in spaced circumferential relation; a drive means havinga rotary drive shaft; a circular drive member attached to the rotarydrive shaft for rotation thereby; a plurality of roller bushingsarranged on the circular drive member in a circle concentric with therotary drive shaft, the rollers being equally spaced circumferentiallyby a distance equal to the circumferential spacing of the fixed pinsattached to the drum, the drive means being positioned so that thecircle of roller bushings on the circular drive member engages thecircle of fixed pins on the end of the drum for transmitting tangentialdriving force to rotate the drum on the support means.
 23. The machineof claim 22 wherein the axes of the fixed pins attached to the end ofthe drum, the axes of the roller bushings mounted on the circular drivemember, and the axis of the rotary drive shaft of the drive means areall parallel to the axis of drum rotation, and the circle of fixed pinson the end of the drum is tangent to the circle of roller bushings onthe circular drive member.